Leading MINI website MotoringFile has revealed the first images of the new R57 MINI Convertible. Most styling cues are as to be expected with the removal of the rear bootlid hinges and rollover bars—replaced with a pop-up system—being the most obvious exterior changes. MotoringFile also reports that a John Cooper Works version of the convertible will be available from launch.
Check out MotoringFile for more.
With the recent release of the MY09 Honda Jazz the Honda PR department conjured up the Urban Fuel Economy Challenge at national media launch last week. The results are now in! During the challenge, both 1.3-litre and 1.5-litre versions of the all-new Jazz returned pretty damn impressive consumption figures of just 5.1 litres/100km across a 60km drive through suburban Melbourne.
That’s better than Honda’s published ADR81/01 figures of 5.8l/100km and 6.4l/100km for the 1.3-litre manual and 1.5-litre manual respectively. Apparently the national average consumption figure for Australia’s vehicle fleet is 11.4l/100km, so naturally Honda is pretty pleased with itself, coming in under half that national figure. The 1.3-litre i-VTEC engine produces just 138gCO2/km when fitted with the manual transmission. However, you may be surprised at how those numbers stack up against another small hatch. Read on…
Regular trawlers of motoring websites will know information on this BMW M3 race version is not new. This does not mean its late arrival on AUSmotive is any less worthy however. A replacement for the awesome BMW M3 GTR the new M3 race version is all set for the 2009 American Le Mans Series. Like the previous GTR one would expect this M3 to have a crack at the Nürburgring 24 hour race in 2009 as well. Enjoy this clip above from bmw-web.tv before going all ga-ga over the glory of the images below (click each pic for a 2000px super image). Just look at it! There’s also enough technical data in BMW’s press information to keep anyone happy.
BMW’s most important model, the 3 Series, has recently been given a bit of a spring clean. And look at that, the lads in Munich still had a few extra crease lines in the back of their cupboards that needed some air. Good thing then, that, despite negative hype, BMW actually do know how to design a car. This mid cycle refresh has kept the 3 Series looking sharp, both figuratively and literally.
Other more obvious exterior changes included a revised headlight cluster, now with LED turn signals. The famous BMW kidney grille has been enlarged and better suits the reskinned bonnet lines. The lighting changes continue at the back, too, with a more L shaped design employed, fitting into a restyled boot detail.
Inside there is a reworked iDrive system, an 80GB hard drive for music storage, and perhaps more importantly, it can also be used for map storage to aid navigation capabilities. A few other minor cosmetic tweaks have been made, including a repositioning of window switchgear.
More detail can be read below in BMW Australia’s press release, including a full suite of photos. You’ll be able to see the new 3 Series range in Australia in early 2009.
Volkswagen’s release of images for the 2009 Golf VI has yielded the expected armchair evaluation in regards to the car’s exterior design. Some, like me, think the new car looks pretty good, while others think Volkswagen have played it too safe and not made enough of a progression from the current Golf V. Take a closer look at these images and decide for yourself (be sure to click each pic for a 1200x800px version). You may like to check out this AutoBild gallery for 55 new images. There is also quite a good Golf VI section on the autocar.co.uk website.
Following the leaked images from earlier this week Volkswagen has released official information about the new Golf VI. The images have also been released in higher resolution and 2000px super images can be accessed by clicking on the images in this article.
As expected the importance of the new Golf has not been lost by Prof Dr Martin Winterkorn, Volkswagen AG Chairman, and he claims the VI will raise the bar again for its market segment, “This sixth generation of Golf cars will completely redefine the quality and comfort level of its class over broad categories, offering more customer value than ever before.â€
Volkswagen says fuel consumption across the board has been reduced by up to 28 per cent, with emissions now meeting Euro-5 standards. New technologies, such as automatic distance control and park steering assistant have been introduced. Revised ESP systems help increase safety capabilities, along with seven-aribags and daytime running lights as standard. Volkswagen also says big improvements have been made to reduce interior noise through the likes of new door seals, special windscreens and reworked wing mirrors.
Revised diesel engines will now use common rail injection and all diesel Golfs will be fitted with a particulate filter. Petrol powered engines have reduced fuel consumption, with all engines at launch having quoted consumption figures under 6.5l/100kms (with the exception of the normally aspirated 1.6-litre at 7.1l/100km). Conventional automatics have been completely replaced with re-worked DSG trasmissions.
While stating the bleeding obvious, the Golf is Volkswagen’s most important model, and the aim with the VI is to reduce manufacturing costs over the previous Golf V. The necessity to do this brought the release of the Golf VI forward by around two years and it remains to be seen if the measures put in place by Volkswagen will achieve their ultimate aims. They will certainly sell plenty of them, they just need to hope their return on investment meets their expectations. One could consider this more of a Golf V.5, rather than a completely new model, however, Volkswagen knows they cannot afford to drop the ball with the Golf and the changes and improvements made appear to be a step in the right direction. Some consider the styling of the Golf to be boring and unimaginative, although, as an unabashed fan of teutonic design, the more I look the Golf VI the more I begin to appreciate the revisions made. The more angular and sharper look is a solid improvement over the Golf V.
So far, at least, the Golf VI has the AUSmotive seal of approval. I can’t wait to get behind the wheel. Barring any unforseen overseas junkets, that will have to wait until around this time next year when the Golf VI is expected to be on sale in Australia. The Golf VI GTI should arrive here sometime before July 2010.
Full details of Volkswagen’s release, along with more images, can be viewed after the jump.
Update 15 January: Expect the Golf VI to have its Australian launch at the Melbourne International Motor Show (27 February–9 March).